UK: BMT Completes Series of Studies for L2 Terminal Construction

BMT has completed a series of studies for the Port of Liverpool’s new Seaforth ‘Liverpool 2’ (L2) Container Terminal Construction, which promises to bring 5000 new jobs to the area.

The new facility will provide capability for a further half a million containers, taking its total annual capacity to approximately two million TEUs.

BMT subsidiary companies, BMT ARGOSS and BMT Isis were commissioned by Peel Ports to carry out a number of specialist studies to identify and assess the associated impacts of introducing larger vessels of up to 13,500 TEU to the proposed L2 development. This included analysis of the associated traffic and safety management issues, as well as the operability of the new terminal and to provide a conceptual design of the required mooring system. Manoeuvring simulations and studies into the wave and water level conditions were also carried out.

Hugh Addison, Head of Design Liverpool 2, states: “BMT expedited the study on a short lead time and programme, to provide information fundamental to the detailed design of the Terminal. Liverpool 2 is subject to 10m tides and a wide range of vessels need to be accommodated in a defined footprint, but BMT overcame the technical challenges with enthusiasm and flair. Although the work was carried out remotely, their understanding of our requirements was absolute and the deliverables met the high standards that I have come to expect from working with BMT in different corners of the world.”

BMT applied not only their extensive knowledge of ship behaviour but also a full range of AIS traffic analysis techniques and coastal engineering expertise in this project – from statistical analysis of wave buoy data, through to modelling of wave propagation over shallow banks and computation of overtopping rates. BMT also simulated the movements of the ship at the quay using REMBRANDT DMA (Dynamic Mooring Analysis).

This software delivered a more advanced simulation of the moored ship’s response to all of the weather affecting it (wind, waves, currents, passing ships), providing Peel Ports with more reliable results and avoided the need for over-design because of the uncertainties often involved with a less advanced approach.

Jan Onassis, Senior Maritime and Port Consultant at BMT ARGOSS explains: “The high tidal variation at Liverpool (more than 10m in extreme cases), combined with the range of vessel sizes expected to call at the terminal, presents particular design challenges. As the Seaforth terminal is located near the river entrance it means that, unlike the older Liverpool berths which are located in docks or well upriver, it will be subject to some wave action from the Irish Sea. As such, careful consideration was needed when designing the quay. On the one hand, it is favourable to make the quay high to avoid wave overtopping at high water, but a high quay can lead to mooring problems for the smaller vessels, particularly at low water.”

Bob Hockham, Business Development Manager at BMT Isis explains: “For such a significant project like this, it was vital for Peel Ports to ensure that the proposed development could accommodate the larger, container vessels. Our dedicated traffic management team were able to provide assurance that although the larger vessels would have an impact on other vessel traffic, it could be manageable with the introduction of additional traffic management measures.”